The instant invention relates to ball launching devices, and more particularly to a ball launching device of the general type in which a ball is accelerated by contacting the circumferential surface of a rapidly rotating launching wheel.
It has generally been found that devices which are operative for launching balls and the like have significant levels of appeal. In this regard, various types of "pitching machine" devices which are operative for launching balls at relatively high rates of speed have been heretofore available. Devices of this type are disclosed in the U.S. Patents to Hodge et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,989,045; Paulson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,950; and Kahelin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,014. Another more generally related ball launching device is disclosed in the U.S. Patent to Goldfarb et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,859. For the most part, however, the heretofore available pitching devices, such as those disclosed in the U.S. Patents to Paulson et al. and Kahelin, use launching wheels having at least partially compressible outer gripping surfaces thereon that are primarily adapted for launching noncompressible balls, such as baseballs. Further, most of the heretofore available ball pitching-type apparatus have not been adapted for convenient manual handheld operation, it being noted that both the Kahelin and Paulson et al. devices include electric motors for rotating the respective launching wheels thereof.
The instant invention provides an effective new ball launching device which is effectively adapted for manual handheld operation for launching a plurality of balls in rapid sequence. Further, the ball launching device of the instant invention is adapted specifically for use in launching relatively soft, lightweight compressible foam balls, and therefore, the ball launching device can effectively utilize a substantially rigid noncompressible launching wheel for gripping and accelerating balls in order to launch them from the device. Still further, the ball launching device of the instant invention is adapted so that the launching wheel thereof is effectively manually rotatable at a relatively high rate of rotation for launching foam balls from the device. Even still further, the device of the instant invention is specifically adapted for use in launching relatively soft, lightweight foam balls which inherently have a high degree of safety even when they are intentionally or inadvertently launched in the direction of another participant in game play.
More specifically, the ball launching device of the instant invention comprises at least one spherical soft foam ball having a predetermined diameter, a launcher body having a launching passage therein which has a slightly greater diameter than the ball, and a launching wheel having a circumferential gripping surface thereon which extends into the passage. The ball launching device further includes a restriction in the form of a compression finger which extends into the passage at a location which is substantially opposite from the launching wheel. The compression finger terminates at an inner end which is spaced from the gripping surface of the launching wheel by a distance which is slightly less than the diameter of the ball, and the device further includes a manually operable rack gear assembly for rotating the launching wheel at a high rate of rotation so that the portion of the launching wheel which extends into the launching passage travels in a direction toward the muzzle end of the launching passage. The device still further includes a feeding tube assembly which is operative for feeding a ball to the passage so that when the launching wheel is rotated, the ball passes between the launching wheel and the compression finger causing it to be slightly compressed therebetween and urged into frictional engagement with the launching wheel and thereby causing it to be launched from the passage through the muzzle end thereof. The rack gear assembly preferably includes an elongated rack gear which is manually operable by repeatedly reciprocally pulling it rearwardly and returning it in a forward direction for increasingly rotating the launching wheel. The body of the device preferably includes a pistol grip handle portion for enabling a user to hold the device in a pistol-like manner with the muzzle end of the launching passage facing generally away from the user. The feeding tube assembly preferably includes a trigger which is positioned adjacent the handle and manually operable for releasing balls so that they pass into the passage. The device preferably includes a plurality of balls, and the launching tube is preferably adapted to function as a magazine containing a plurality of balls which can be sequentially fed to the launching wheel by repeatedly manipulating the trigger. Accordingly, once the launching wheel has been sufficiently rotated by manipulating the rack gear assembly, it is possible to manipulate the trigger to sequentially launch a plurality of balls from the device in relatively rapid succession.
It has been found that the ball launching device of the instant invention can be effectively utilized for rapidly launching a plurality of relatively soft, safe, foam balls in rapid succession. Specifically, by assembling a plurality of balls in the feeding tube and then reciprocally operating the rack gear for rapidly rotating the launching wheel, it is possible to launch balls from the device by manipulating the trigger so that individual balls pass between the compression finger and the launching wheel whereby they are individually compressed against the launching wheel and rapidly accelerated in order to individually launch them through the muzzle end of the launching passage. Further, because the device is adapted for use with soft, safe foam balls, a relatively small amount of inertia is required to launch each ball so that a plurality of balls can be launched without restoring the rotational inertia of the launching wheel.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an effective launching device for launching a plurality of relatively soft, safe, foam balls in rapid succession.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an effective ball launching device which is operative for launching compressible foam balls utilizing a relatively rigid launching wheel.
An even still further object of the instant invention is to provide a handheld launching device for launching relatively soft, safe, foam balls in rapid succession.
An even still further object of the instant invention is to provide an effective ball launching device which includes a rack gear for manually rotating a ball launching wheel.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.